Accept Appeal Court verdict on Taraba governorship, Group tells APC

Taraba volunteer group on Wednesday called on the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Taraba to accept the verdict of the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja which upheld the victory of governor Darius Ishaku of PDP and work with him to move the state forward.

Chairman of the group Engr. Terrence Joseph who made the call at a press briefing in Jalingo described the ruling of the appellate court as a victory for the collective will of the people of Taraba.

“The calm and peaceful celebration that greeted the Appeal Court judgement is a demonstration of the general acceptance of the verdict unlike the initial ruling of the tribunal that was widely protested which led to loss of precious lives and property.

“We therefore call on the APC in the state to eat the humble pie, accept defeat and join hands with the governor to move the state forward,” the group said.

The group expressed confidence in the justices of the Supreme Court to look at the case on its merits and ensure that fair judgement is given in line with the collective decision of the majority of Taraba people and not the interests of a few.

“Taraba state has suffered a lot of setbacks in the past and here comes an administration that has demonstrated the will to restore peace and sanity in the state and we believe that nothing will happen to derail this course.

“We also have confidence that the Supreme Court justices will consider the position it has taken on similar cases in the past which put governor Ishaku at advantage position and base their ruling on the already established position so that the peace currently being enjoyed in the state will continue.”

It could be recalled that, the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja had on December 31, last year, upturned the ruling of the lower tribunal which nullified the election of governor Darius Ishaku on the grounds of improper conduct of party primaries.

Senator Aisha Alhassan, APC candidate in the 2015 governorship election in the state and Minister of Women Affairs has indicated interest to challenge the appeal court ruling at the Supreme Court.